Of Ice, Snow, and Po
by Caris August
Summary: Tigress loves to hunt. Viper loves the snow. Mantis loves being Mantis. Crane loves his companions. Monkey loves bananas. And Po loves Tigress... wait, what? Two-shot, set sometime after KFP 2. Ti/Po.


**Hey... I honestly have no sweet clue where this came from. My brain, obviously, but where in that messed up mind is a mystery. Anyways, this isn't me stopping Dead Of Night or taking a break, I just always wanted to make a little snippet of something. Something tiny, something sweet and to the point. Seriously, multi-chapter stories get hard to write sometimes! I wanted to try my hand at whatever this is. **

** Yup, so this is probably around four or five months after KFP 2, it doesn't relate to Dead Of Night in any way. Two chappies long. More to come! **

**Disclaimer: Don't go calling the po-po. I don't own Kung Fu Panda. Darn it!**

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><p>The snow had always amused Po. He had never really thought about it before because he hadn't found out about his past until three months ago, but maybe it had something to do with the fact that winter was the last season he spent with his parents. However, whatever the case, it didn't change how he felt about those tiny cotton circles that descended from the heavens. They were magical.<p>

"I love the snow," Viper sighed from over somewhere to his left. Her long slender body was leaving a zigzagged trail behind her.

Po nodded with bright eyes, "Amen to that."

The Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five were out behind the palace, their training completed early for the day, and Shifu had dismissed them with no other orders except for one. To take a quick walk before turning in for supper. Po suspected Shifu had given this order for leisure purposes only, the red panda's idea of an early holiday gift. Po had never really considered exercise as a "gift", but that was Master Shifu for you.

Besides, it wasn't half bad. The grounds were decorated with lanterns, the view of the Valley was breathtaking, the snow covered iron wood trees were elegant, and Tigress looked kind of adorable in that long sleeved version of her red vest and the black scarf she had wrapped loosely around her neck. Po glanced over his shoulder at the oblivious feline who was trailing at the back of the group.

_Wait… what? _Po asked himself, feeling his cheeks burn from more than just the cold. She wasn't "adorable"… well, maybe sometimes, but that was beside the point! Tigress was their leader, quick witted and steadfast, as sturdy as any guarded fortress. She was the very essence of loyalty; and her courage was just as equally matched by her ferocity and her strength. Master Tigress was many things, but "adorable" wasn't supposed to be one of them. However, Po couldn't help but notice the way she pulled her scarf closer as the icy wind ruffled her exposed fur, or the way she scrunched her nose to unthaw it from the cold, or even how her big scarlet eyes twinkled off the snow's reflection.

She was his best friend, and had been since shortly after the battle with Lord Shen… even if she herself wasn't aware of it. Tigress sparred with him, took him to buy supplies in the village with her, listened when he needed someone to talk to, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays helped him wash dishes after the meals. That's what friends did, right? They spent time together? They had become closer than both had expected, and Po treated her like his own sibling. So shouldn't it be okay for him to admit she looked adorable every once in a while?

Po glanced back at her again and from the blush he received when she noticed him staring and shot him a questioning look Po got his answer. No. It wasn't alright for him to think that about her. It was wrong. He didn't know why, but he guessed it had something to do with the nervous twinge in his stomach… and the way his eyes couldn't seem to leave her.

"What's up with you?" Monkey asked as he leaped through the snow next to the startled panda.

Mantis nodded from the simian's shoulder, unable to walk by himself because they all feared he'd get lost in the drifts. "Yeah… it's like we've got Master Shifu here instead of you. What's with that?"

"Ah…" Po stammered and hauled his gold and green yarned tuque further down over his ears, "just, you know… checking out the scenery and stuff… it's kind of pretty." His gaze fluttered to the striped Master in the back unconsciously. Monkey and Mantis didn't pick up on it, but Crane was smiling to himself suspiciously.

"You were checking out the scenery?" Mantis deadpanned.

"Yup…"

The insect smirked, "you know, you worry me, Po. Your feminine side is just a little too overpowering sometimes."

Monkey and Mantis chuckled. "Just watching the scenery," he scoffed, "what, next are you going to prance around and pretend you're Princess Mei Li?"

Viper flicked her forked tongue at the instigators, "oh hardy, har, har. You two think you're just hilarious, don't you?"

"No. haven't you been listening?" Monkey questioned. "We think Po's hilarious."

Again, they both laughed.

From the back Po heard Tigress mutter something about men as her eyes rolled irritatedly in her sockets, making him smile. Teasing didn't really have an effect on Po. He had learned long ago that the best remedy for it was either to play along or just ignore it all together. He chose to ignore it now, and slowed down his pace a bit, allowing the primate and bug to pass him by. When Crane and Viper had done the same, Po found himself marching along directly in front of the Tiger Master. As if that wasn't planned…

After a moment of thinking it through, he awkwardly side stepped with a light whistle, like he didn't have a care in the world and glanced around at the trees. Acting as if he hadn't even noticed her walking beside him he waved clumsily and brought himself closer until there was only a couple of feet between them. Tigress watched all this with a blank face, though her fiery gaze did flash with amusement.

"Panda," she greeted with a stiff incline of her head.

"Oh, hey Tigress," Po acknowledged. There was silence while the feline walked ever staring straight ahead and the panda glanced in every direction but at her. Then, all of a sudden he smirked and nudged her shoulder with his own. "So, how's the arm doing?"

She squinted, trying to understand what he was talking about this time, "The arm?"

"You know, when we were sparring and you hit me like at a bazillion miles an hour." Po motioned wildly with his paws. "I mean, I don't bruise easily cause of my awesomeness and everything, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a little black and blue from that one tomorrow. So it must have done something to you too right? Like some kind if aftershock or whatever."

Tigress shook her head, eyes still facing forwards, "No, Po, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Cause you packed a lot of force in that swing."

"Very sure," she replied this time with a hesitant smile. Po gawked at her for an instant, still not accustomed to seeing one on her face. He recovered once Tigress held up her left arm and turned it from side to side for him to view. "See? The same as always; that is one of the benefits of punching iron wood trees for two decades."

Po nodded and tightened his scarf as the wind softly howled around them, "right, I forgot about all your hardcore stuff."

"Po," Tigress chided, flicking a finger against his shoulder, "I've already told you, "hardcore" is more than feeling no pain. It is feeling pain, but still-"

"But still fighting for what's right," Po recited her words perfectly back to her with a grin. "You know, Tigress, there _are _times people tell me stuff and I actually do listen. Just to let you know."

She smirked, "I find that slightly difficult to believe."

They shared a fleeting glance, Po wearing his goofy half smile and Tigress with her features softened a bit from her normal glare. Amber irises met grass green, and seconds later both Kung Fu warriors hurriedly deserted the stare as another silence enveloped them once more. "Err… so the weather is nice today," Po tried, loosening his scarf despite the fact that he had only tightened it moments before. It was suddenly quite warm.

Tigress just nodded, before cocking her head slightly to look at him from side on. "That wasn't much of a conversation starter," she informed, causing Po to glance up in surprise and then chuckle.

"At least I'm trying."

Another smile on her part. Wow, two in a row, he was on a roll. "You have me there, Dragon Warrior."

Po knew how to play her game. Master Tigress was so brilliantly simple when it came to things like Kung Fu, or strategy, or going after the bad guys. Her simplicity with those things that others found complicated was the key to her superiority. She was a living and breathing fighter, it was the role she had always played. She knew it like she knew the markings on her tail, it came natural to her, and it was the most pivotal point of who she was. However, when it came to emotions, and feelings, and expressing thoughts Tigress' personality grew complicated. It was there that she lacked grace and became harsh and even uninviting, but Po could see past all that. He'd always been able to see past that wall she used to defend herself with. She was a complex being, he knew that, but behind all the confidence and serious demeanour there was a blazing soul and a golden heart.

It was those two things that made her "hardcore" in his eyes, not her outer exterior she did so well at portraying. She was a great actress, the best he'd ever encountered, but what lied in her heart… now that's what intrigued him so much about her. That's what made him love her.

_As a sister, _Po whispered to himself, _that's what makes me love her as a sister._ But somehow that just didn't sound right in his head.

"What are you thinking?" Tigress asked him suddenly, and at once he was drawn back to the present.

"Wha…" he mumbled, turning to see her gaze on him quizzically.

She arched her eyebrows. "People only bear a face of stone like that when something is bothering them," Tigress explained, "so I repeat: what are you thinking?"

"Oh… um, well, you see…. I-I was ah…just… ah… just… DUCK!" Po's salvation soared through the air in the form of a tightly packed ball of snow. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her down just as the snowball zoomed over their shoulders, exploding into a tree trunk three meters behind them. Shocked, Po glanced over at Tigress who was looking back at him in the exact same manner. "What the…" Po started, but stopped when a snort, two chuckles, and a girlish giggle caught their attention.

Their four fellow Masters were perched twenty feet away. Viper was definitely innocent, it was obvious by the way she had her tail wrapped around her mouth to stop herself from laughing, but she hadn't been a discourager either. Crane was grinning and chuckling to himself. Monkey's mouth formed a perfect "O" as he stared at the two of them. And Mantis looked incredibly guilty, which wasn't much of a surprise.

"Oh, hey," Mantis said, eyes refusing to meet Tigress' death glare as he hid his mandible-thingers behind his back. "That was some big snowflake, huh?"

The other three rolled their eyes, and while Po was still managing to recover Tigress' gaze squinted. Slowly, ever so slowly, almost so it seemed she was still thinking about what she was doing, the tiger slid a paw across the white ground in front of her. Once Tigress had a reasonably sized scoop of snow between her fingers she patted it gently, rounding it into a circle and eased to her feet.

Monkey, who had caught on to where her actions were leading took Mantis off his back and placed him on the ground. "She's all yours, buddy," he whispered, and stepped back from the bug a couple meters, followed by Viper and Crane.

Tigress was smiling now, her lips curled upwards into a sinister smirk. She held the ball of snow up in one hand as if displaying it nonchalantly to the world. She bounced it around in her paw as she thought. "Mantis?" Tigress asked sweetly, making everyone shiver uneasily.

"Y-yes Tigress?"

The smile turned into a snarl. "This will be less painful if you remain still," she growled.

Mantis let out a tiny whimper and gulped as she came closer, "be gentle…"

Po had been silent throughout the whole exchange, a grin playing out on his face. He would love to see Tigress pellet Mantis into oblivion, it would be bodaciously cool, and China knew he deserved it… but with her back completely turned to him this moment was too good to pass up. Something sly passed through Po's head, and even though the consequences would be brutal to extreme later on he couldn't miss a chance like this. With only the sound of the snow crunching beneath his feet, Po turned to the tree in back of him and broke off a single icicle from one of the lower branches.

Tigress was closing in on Mantis slowly, drawing it out and making him sweat. Too bad she didn't have any clue that there was a giant black and white creature sneaking up behind her. Po tippy-toed as softly as he could with his tongue hanging out in concentration. He ignored the widened glance from Viper and the warning shake of the head from Crane, and even the thumbs up from Monkey, his eyes were focused solely on the back of the tiger Master's neck.

"Now," Tigress said, still oblivious to the panda who was just inches from reaching her. She drew back the snowball in her left paw, seconds away from sending it spiralling down on the now strangely smug insect before her. "In the words of Po, be prepared to feel the-"

Po grasped the top of her shirt; he tugged it back and with the other paw shoved his icicle clad fist down her back. Tigress gasped. "Thunder," he finished, releasing the ice and hauling his paw back.

The effect was immediate. In the span of a single moment Tigress' eyes grew incredibly large, her body stiffened, and the snowball fell from her hand. The cold seemed to hit her a second later and she unfroze from her position; paws reaching back, groping at her back, her feet dancing around wildly and spinning her in circles. "YAAHH!" Tigress shouted and jumped up and down as she tried in vain to get the ice out of her shirt.

The others were full out laughing now, never had they seen her react to something like this before. Po was smiling from ear to ear, dusting off his hands and crossing them in front of his chest. Tigress caught a glimpse of him as she looped through the snow and for the briefest instant their eyes met. "P-Po-" she stuttered, "You are S-SO dead!"

He watched as she rammed herself back first up against an iron wood tree, resorting to desperate matters as she tried to break the icicle in half so it would be easier to slide out. Po shrugged as the others continued to chuckle around him, "trust me, Tigress, this is worth dying for."

The whole incident only lasted for a little over a minute until finally, after more tree-ramming and clawing at her shirt the icicle melted to the point where it could be removed. With one last flip in the air she free-fell flat on her back, the force of the landing effectively cracking the ice in two. Tigress pulled the hem of her shirt back and allowed the two ice shards to slip out on ground. A sigh of relief escaped her lips and she collapsed back into the snow, her breathing slightly irregular.

Monkey wiped away a tear from his eye; Mantis was dying and still laughing, while Viper was trying her best to look sorry for the other girl member of the group. Po watched the feline with a smirk, but his jade gaze still held the same friendliness towards her as ever. How did he manage to look so innocent when he just pulled a prank like that?

Crane, being Crane, leaned forwards and extended a wing towards Tigress. He too was chuckling along with the others, but his eyes held genuine brotherly concern, "Do you want some help, Tigress?"

It was a simple, selfless question, but the tiger Master obviously wasn't in the mood for talking. Tigress' response to Crane's query was delivered through a moan and a fist full of snow she sent splattering across his face, or rather his beak. Apparently, she still wanted time to recover.

"…Okay then," Crane muttered dryly through the mouthful of white stuff, "I take it you want to do it yourself."

A growl escaped from the body sprawled out over the snow, and then Tigress pushed herself into a sitting position. Five perfectly shaped snowballs were now lying across her lap.

Po winced, "I hate consequences…"

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><p><strong>Hope you like! Review if you feel it, if not then thanks for reading too! <strong>

**P.S. If anyone is interested... I was wondering if someone would bother reading through my chapters for Dead Of Night before I upload them (I don't know when that'll be, hopefully soon). I really dislike it when I post something and then find out how many typos I've made. I go over what I write two or three times anyways, but I always seem to miss stupid little mistakes. Fellow writers make the best critics! And if you were willing to do this, you could totally make any suggestions you want for the plot and such too. It's all open ground! Let me know, and I'll get in touch. **

**Alright! Hope everyone had a Merry CHRISTmas! **

**God loves ya! **

**:)**


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